1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to personal listening systems worn by the user for hearing wire transmitted sound, and in particular to stereo headphones comprising completely modular components.
2. Background Art
Standard stereo headphones have a common and very serious defect as a class of acoustical accessories. Because of the flexibility of the headphones relative to the headband, invariably the wire which connects the two headphones across the headband will break or be disconnected from the headphones. Headphones receive a great deal of use, particularly those owned by sound recording studios, and this use results in the breaking of the wire between headphones. A new wire then has to be soldered to the headphones requiring dismantling of the set and usually loss of use for a considerable time while the headphones are sent out for repair.
Other parts of headphones are also very prone to breaking or disconnection; the wire from the headphones to the sound transmitting source being a prime example. Again, considerable usage and particularly usage by musicians or dancers who are moving to the music will cause the wire to break or become disconnected either from the headphones or the plug into the sound system, requiring a long period of down time while the headphones are repaired.
Some hearing aids have snap-on ear pieces and some listening equipment for use with dictation machines and switchboards have some detachable components for assembly in different combinations with mouth pieces and either one or two ear pieces, but these are tubular sound connections rather than wired sound connections so they do not address the wire-breaking problem.
Even some of the structural connections between the headphones and the headband in stereo headphones are merely rigid wire connections and are prone to breaking with any rigorous use common in today's music business.